8 great players that left Man Utd on a free: Keane, Rooney, Pogba…

Given Manchester United’s standing as one of the world’s most famous and storied football clubs, when a great player leaves it tends to be on the club’s terms. 

But that’s not always the case, as United have experienced once more with Paul Pogba, the club’s record signing who has left the club on a free for this summer for a second time after a similar exit in 2012. And he isn’t the only great player the Red Devils have allowed to leave without recouping a fee.

We’ve taken a look at eight examples of great players that left United for nothing. Note: we’ve not included players that retired immediately after leaving United.

Arriving at Old Trafford as PSG’s all-time top scorer – something that former team-mate Edinson Cavani would repeat four years later – Ibrahimovic showed there was still life in his 34-year-old legs, scoring 17 goals in his first 28 Premier League appearances.

That great debut campaign was unfortunately curtailed by a serious knee ligament injury, and he struggled to make the same kind of impact on his return.

He was then allowed to make the switch to LA Galaxy on a free transfer in March 2018, announcing the move with a full-page ad in the LA Times that read: “Dear Los Angeles, you’re welcome”. Of course he did.

In 2021-22, he continued his seemingly interminable victory march in Milan, winning a twelfth domestic league title of his career. Some going, that.

@Ibra_Official is from another planet, pass it on